Liquid dispenser



Patented June 25, 1949 UNITED STATES LIQUID DISPENSER Jasper M. Oofiey and Richard C. English, San

Diego, Calii.

Application November 9, 1937, Serial No. 173,655

2 Claims.

Ou invention relates to liquid dispensers, particulafly with reference to the dispensing of syrups, fruit juices, and other liquids where the furnishing of small amounts of fluids as a basis for the compounding of beverages is necessary or desirable, and its objects are toafford a ready and accurate means for measuring or metering the required amount of essntial ingredients; to construct a dispenser which can readily be disassembled for cleaning the parts thereof and reassembled within a short space of time; to permit rapid replacements of elements of pumping mechanism and adjacent parts With a minimum of time and effort; to obviate the necessity of inclining dispensing apparatus from a vertical position in order to produce the best results, and in general t simplify and render more effective the operation of the several parts.

We are aware that there are now upon the market complicated and oumbrous {Jumping structures which are used as dispensers, and which utilize the principle of having the principal parts thereof housed and submerged within the tank containing the liquid to be dispensed, but all such structures are open to the objection that, in addition to being complicated and unwieldy, they cannot be broken apart, c1eaned and restored to service without sending them to the servicing or repair shop for the purpose.

With our improved apparatus, however, the replacement of the pump or outlet nozzle can readfly and rapidly be accompiished without the necessity of removing the tank or of interrupting to any material extent the operation of dispensing the liquid.

Attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing of one of the preferred forms of our apparatus, in which similar numerals of designation refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of our improved apparatus, showing some of the parts in elevatien;

Figure 2 is a section on line 22, of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, of that part of the pumping mechanism adjacent to the inlet and outlet of the dispensing fluid.

Referring to the drawing, within the tank 5, which is normally in an upright position and wholly or pa1tially filled With liquid juice l5, we house and submerge in said liquid the lower part of the main pumping structure. The tank 5 is preferably constructed of heavy glass, but may be of metal, cernent, earthenware, wood, fibre or other suitable material for liquid containers. As here shown it is preferably in the form of an elongated cylinder, but it may be in any form suitable for the purpose. It is normally closed at the top by a cap 4, of any suitable materia], preferably a1uminum, and fits loosely upon the upper edge of said tank and is easily removabie therefrom. It may, if desired, be provided with a gasket to prevent friction and wearin'g of the parts. The said cap has extending through it at one side a vertical opening threaded to receive the thrust collar or bearing 3, and the plunger barrel 6. To the lower end of the said barrel is affixed the block -I2, having a chamber and pas sage communicating with the interior of said barrel 6, and also a passage communicating with the -lower end of outlet spout i6, which is detachably secured to said b1ock. Preferably both said barrel 6 and said spout l6 are in screw threaded engagement with said block I2. At the bottom o-f said block l2, beloW the,barrel 6, is the aperture 24, normaily closed by the ball i3, and at one side of the upper portion of said block closing the outlet to said spout [B is the ball M. Extending upwardly through the upper part of the tank 5, the spout l6 passes through an opening in the cap 4 and terminates in the nozzle 211 and discharge orifice 2i. Preferably, the said spout is made all in one piece and, while snugly fitting its said opening, can readily be twisted and removed therefrom. To faci1itate the proper dispensing of the juice i5, We preferably bend the nozzle outwardly as shown beyond and clear of the top of the tank 5, so that said juice may properly be projected into the receptacie advanced to receive the same.

Extending through the collar 3 is the plunger rod 2, threaded at the upper end thereof t0 engage with the handle l, and also threaded to engage with the collar l8, said collar. serving to regulate the extent of stroke of the plunger. To the lower part of the collar 3, and in screw threaded engagement therewith is the box [1, which serves to house the helical spring 7 within Which reciprocates the plunger member 8 afiixed to the plunger rod 2, the lower end of said member 8 protruding through an opening in the bottom of said box and secured to the plunger head l l, by a bal] and cup joint, said joint comprising the ball 10 secured to the end of said member, the chamber 23 within said head shaped to receive said bail and allowing free p1ay therein and the cap 9 provided With a centra1 opening sonnewhat larger than the diameter o f said member.

As W111 be observed, the cap 9 is provided With a threaded shank depending therefrom and threaded to engage With a threaded opening adjacent thereto in the head il, the bore of said shank being narrowed so as to prevent the passage of the ball 19 therethrough and the separation of the p1unger member 8 frcm said head 1 i. Annular recesses la in the head H for1n sealing grooves when filled with the 1iquid first drawn in from the tank 5, upon the initial reciprocation of said head, which when so sea1ed and after the entire interior of the pump unit and discharge pipe have been filled With liquid, effectualiy pre- Vent further seepage of said 1iquid upwardiy by said head to any material extent.

The lower portion of the plunger barrel 8, when the piunger elements are in the normal raised position shown in Figure 1, forms the chamber 22, normally fi1led with liquid 15 from the tank 5. By turning the collar 18 upon the threaded plunger rod 2, the piston head Il may be depressed and the size of said chamber changed, so that accurately measured quantities may be discharged upon the downward stroke of the piston, such measured quantities varying from a drop or drops to the full capacity of the chamber 32. For such measure, Imay employ the quantity indicated oy one or more successive threads upon the rod 2, or I may embed in such threads a numbered scale setting forth the exact measured quantity.

To operate our improved device, we first fi.11 the tank 5 with 1iquid 15, and place the cap 4 and parts carried thereupon in the position shown in Figure 1. The plunger is then depressed against the spring l by a stroke of the hand upon the handle 1, until the head H, 1oosely p1aying withinthe barre1 6, is forced downwardly to a position compietely occupying the chamber 22. Upon releasing pressure upon said hand1e the spring '1 serves t0 force the plunger upwardiy back toits original position, and to cause sufiicient suction to be created by the upward passage of the head il, to Compel the ball 13 to rise and liquid to fiow in through the aperture 2 1 and to fi11 the chamber 22, and all spaces in the pump mechanism .above said chamber. By adjusting the coilar 48, the quantity of liquid filling said chamber may be reduced or increased, and furnished in such measure as desired. Thereupon, the plunger is again depressed and the head H descends, driving all of such quantity of liquid out of said cnamber and into and out through the spout 1:6, the ball 14 rising upon the first impact of said liquid and permitting its upward passage to the nozzle 23 and discharge orifice 21, and out into the receptacle held in proximity thereto.

By giving a smart bldw to the handle 1., mactically all of the liquid in the chamber 22 may be forcibly ejected at one'time. Upon re1easing the pressure on the handle I, the plunger once more assumes its normal position, the measured quantity is again drawn into the chamber 22, and is again ready for dispensing. By repeated typerations as abOve Set forth, double or treb1e or several times the measnred quantity may be supplied to one serving if desired.

We have found in actual practice that the incorporation of the 1iquid chamber 22, directly in and forming part of the p1unger barre1 6, which is preferably made of uniform diameter throughout, is of distinct practical advantage, in

that such construction readiiy IEDdGIS itself susceptible t0 effecting a range of measured quantities of the liquid, and at the same time permits the easy removal of parts for cleaning.

The construction of parts in our improved device has been so greatly simplified and made so compact that the removal of the cap 4 and adjacent parts, and the substitution of a similar unit is only a matter of seconds. Then again, alter the unit has been removed, the spout 16 can quickiy be unscrewed from the block 12 and twisted out of its engagement with the cap 4, and

a new spout substituted if desired. S0 also the parts comprising the plunger may also be quickly disassembled,cleaned and reassembled, or worn parts removed and replaced.

In the preferred form of construction above i1- 1ustrated and described, we preferab1y dispense with any form of compression pump, although in so far as our apparatus is used merely as a measuring and dispensing device of 1iquids in varying desired quantities, such form of pur np might be emp1oyed. Prferably the head il has snificient clearance Within the barrel 6 as norma11y to permit the liquid to pass upwardly until the entire open space or spaces in the box I! outside of the plunger member 8 and the spring 1, the entire space between the said box I! and the barrei 5, and the sea1ing grooves ,19, are ijlled with such liquid; whereupon the action ofsuch sealing grooves is such on reciprocation of said head as uO prevent any materia1 amount of the fluid s0 he1d above to seep out be1ow, whi1e maintaining suificient suction to draw in the liquid through the aperture 25 on the upward stroke of the p1unger. After a number of such strokes, it W111 be found that, at the beginning of such upward movement (while the contents of the chamber 22 have been completely -expelled), the

deiivery spout 16 wi1i remain full of liquid, the

ball 1 serving to prevent such iiquid from* returning to such chamber. The result is that after a nnmber cf strokes ofthe plunger, the delivery spout 16 Wii1 always be primed, and upon each downward {stroke of such plunger, whi1e tnq chambr 22 .is emptied, and an amount equivaient to its contents driven out of the discharge orifice 25, the amount of liquid he1d in the spout 115 W111 fii1 the same and W111 always remain constant.

Our invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essentiai characteristics thereof.v Our present embodiment of such invention as above set forth and described is thereiore to be considered in all respects as iliustrative and not restrictive, the scope of our invention being indicated by the appended and followingblaims rather than by the foregoing description and al] changes which corne within the meaning and equiValency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What we claim and desire to secure by Lettrs Patent is:

1. In a liquid dispenser, a tank, a cover for said tank, an elongated p1nger barre1 secured to said cover and extending therefrom downwardly into said tank nearly to the bottom thereof, an elongated sieeve attached to said cover and 10- cated within said barre], a piston rod spring yieldingly he1d within said s1eeve and reciprocating therein and extending beyond the same, a removabie plunger head afiixed to the extended end of said rod, said reciprocating parts having sufficient clearance to permit seepage of the fluid, from below to fi11 the open spaces within said barre].

2. In a flud dispenser, the combination of a tank, a. cover for said tank, non-compressing pump mechanism and delivery spout carried by sad cover, an elongated pIunger barre1 communicating Wth said spout and secured to said cover and extending downwardly therefrom into the interor of saiutahk, an elongated sleeve attached to said cover and located wthin said barrel, the piston rod of said pump mechanism being enclosed by said sleeve and reciprocating therein and extending beyond the same, and the plunger head of said mechansm being pivotalIy connected Wth the protruding and of said rod, the movab1e parts of said mechansm having sufficient clearance to permit ingress of the fluid from said tank to fill all the open spaces of said mechanism within said barrel and sealing grooves in the periphery of said head for preventing further seepage nto said mechanism when said spaces are filled, means for admitting fiuid into said narrel a.t the bottom thereof from said tank, and means for adjusting the stroke of said pump to measure the quantity of liquid received therein and ejected therefrom through said spout.

JASPER M. .COFFEY. RICHARD C. ENGLSH. 

